The Legend of Zelda: The Shattered Trinity
by TheDeepestShadeOfBlue
Summary: Six months after the death of Ganondorf, Hyrule is once again threatened by a great evil. In an attempt to restore balance Link sets off on a journey that will carry him far from the borders of Hyrule. In the company of new and old friends, Link must find a way to set things right or not only risk Hyrule's destruction, but the whole world's.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm planning on this story being pretty long, hopefully. Once I get out of introductory material (which should be next chapter) the chapters should be longer than this one, I guess I'm just a little eager to start trouble for Hyrule ha. I'm going to try to stick as closely to canon as I can, though I'm planning on pulling some...ideas from other games in the series and playing with them a little bit. Otherwise if I make a mistake I would love for it to be pointed out so I can possibly fix it (this goes for spelling and grammar and all that great stuff as well) Just please be polite :) Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Recovery**

The sun was setting over the kingdom of Hyrule, casting the land into the long shadows of twilight. It had been six months since the kingdom had seen the unnatural black curtain that Zant had brought with his invasion. The natural fleeting rays of light left by the sun were the only traces of twilight left in the kingdom now. Ganondorf had spread destruction and chaos throughout the land, but it was finally starting to repair itself. Kakariko Village had been healthily repopulated, and most of the boarded up homes and shops had been reopened. Castle Town had been hit hard by the violent destruction of Hyrule Castle, but most of the serious damage had been repaired.

The castle was now the largest reminder of Ganondorf's presence. It no longer lay in a pile of rubble; in fact it grew larger every day. When the people of the city looked up at the wooden scaffolds and growing walls however, they couldn't help but shudder. The palace had been an immovable stronghold of the country, and in an instant, it had been destroyed. The people never acknowledged the fear in their eyes when they looked up at the stone structure, but they felt it in one another. Once the shadow of the palace spires fell over the city once again, everyone would rest easier.

Ordon had gone back to running much the same as it always had, though the population soon began to grow and the little town's responsibilities began to change. Before, Ordon had been basically self-sufficient, growing only what the villagers needed and a little extra to sell to travelers or to take to market in the larger cities. With so much of the kingdom still recovering from the Twilight however, Ordon had started producing food for a larger part of the kingdom. The fields had grown, and consequently the amount of work. Thankfully the population was growing as fast as the need for field hands.

As the sun set over Ordon Village, it threw its fading light over the trees and cast long, eerie shadows over the little wooden houses. The people of the village were starting to wind down for the day. Sera had closed down her shop, and Rusl and Uli were watching Colin and their six month old daughter Lucy playing carefully in the grass. She'd just learned to crawl, and everyone in the village was having a grand time watching her try to follow her brother everywhere.

Link had just finished at Fado's for the day, the last of the goats successfully herded into their barn.

"Hey thanks buddy, I don't know what I'd do without you." Fado said, walking over and patting Epona on the neck.

"No problem Fado." Link said, dismounting and scratching Epona behind the ears, giving her some well-deserved attention. Herding goats was all the action the horse saw these days, and while it was usually hardly exercise for the powerful mare, today the goats had been especially skittish, and Link had had a hell of a time getting them to go where he wanted. Epona's flanks were actually rising and falling with force as she caught her breath, and Link realized that he needed to cool her down.

"I'm going to walk Epona out to the spring for a bit. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow." Link said, taking her bridal to lead her down the path.

"Ehhh don't bother. I can handle things well enough, and that horse of yours could use tomorrow off. Besides, I think they need help out in the fields tomorrow." Fado replied as Link began walking

"Alright, just tell me if you need anything." Link said before passing through the gates that marked the beginning of the ranch.

He waved to Rusl and Uli as he passed, glad they didn't ask him to stop and talk. He was feeling run down tonight, more so than he had in awhile and he wasn't sure why. Slowly he walked with Epona to the spring just outside of town and sat down on the bank as Epona waded in and nibbled on the grass near the edge. This time of day always made him feel hollow, and he'd begun to avoid company after the sun had begun to set.

Six months, it had been six months and still he couldn't seem to reconcile everything that had happened in the past year. The land itself had begun to heal from the destruction Ganondorf had wrought, as people went back to their daily lives, rebuilding all that had been destroyed. Ordon was flourishing, providing the kingdom with a great portion of its perishable food stock. Even Castle Town, which had been decimated by the destruction of the castle had been rebuilt, the walls of the castle growing higher with every day of reconstruction. Hyrule was moving on, but Link felt trapped in what he had seen, done and lost in the battle to save the land.

Awhile back Ilia had noticed something was bothering him, and asked him about it, but her reaction when he tried to explain convinced him that it wasn't worth the trouble. He'd seen the confusion and worry in her eyes and had decided just to keep his concerns to himself. He knew she'd gone to Bo about it, because the next day the mayor had pulled him aside and talked to him about the things he'd seen and done; about how such events were more than enough to rob someone of their 'innocence' and how he understood if Link felt a little world-weary. Bo had patted him on the back and promised it would fade soon and he'd be able to settle right back into his life at Ordon village. Link was beginning to see that Bo's outlook was probably overly-optimistic.

Link heard someone approaching from behind him and he turned to look over his shoulder. Ilia was tentatively entering the spring. She smiled warmly when their eyes met, and Link did his best to break his reverie and return it.

"I thought I might find you out here." She said, sitting down next to him "What are you doing?"

"The goats wore Epona out today; I thought the spring water might do her some good." Link replied, watching his horse as she waded deeper into the water.

"She'll be as good as new once she's done." Ilia smiled

"You always have sworn by the stuff" Link replied, looking down at her with a soft smile.

"Seems like a long time since I used to bring Epona out here." Ilia said with a reflective sigh "Things are finally starting to get back to normal, but it still feels like everything's changed."

"We grew up a lot in one year. We had to." Link replied, staring out at the water so he wouldn't have to look at her. He knew she could hear the hardness enter his voice, like it did every time people brought up the past.

Link had changed, more than he knew people realized. Uli, Jaggle, Pergie, Bo, they all still expected him to be the restless, determined farm boy they had raised. He was still restless, and he was still determined, but he knew that he wasn't a ranch hand anymore; and he was beginning to realize that, though this was his home and always would be, he'd never be just a farm boy again. Link was a warrior. He was hardened and honed for fighting, adventuring, protecting; not for herding goats.

Rusl was the only one who never pestered him about his struggles against the Twilight and Ganondorf. The older man at least seemed to understand, he'd seen and done things in his younger days and Link knew he'd been a warrior in his own right. He'd been the one to teach Link how to fight, and he had a healthy respect for the veteran; Rusl had knocked Link into the dirt too many times for it not to be so. Link knew that if they sparred now, the roles may well be reversed, but he hadn't asked since he'd been home. He'd thought about it, realizing he would need to practice fighting with a weapon that wasn't the Master Sword, but he'd never been able to bring himself to it, maybe it was for the better. The Master Sword was where it belonged in the Sacred Grove, and he was where he belonged in Ordon Village, wasn't he?

"Hello earth to Link?" Ilia said, her hand suddenly shooting across Links vision and waving in front of his face, breaking his train of thought. "I asked what you were planning on doing tomorrow three times and you never answered me. A little spacey today are we?"

"Sorry, just thinking." Link said, turning to look at her with an apologetic half-smile "Fado said they could use help out in the fields tomorrow, so I figured I'd go out there and see what I can do."

"Dad says there are plenty of people all around for now. Why don't you take the day off, do something relaxing, or fun?" Ilia said, looking up at him searchingly.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Link asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow, knowing he'd embarrass her.

"Oh, oh no I didn't mean anything like that." Ilia said, blushing furiously and looking at the ground.

Link laughed, shaking his head at how easy it was to make her blush. He could imagine exactly what Midna would've said to such a comment, and it wouldn't have been nice. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he realized what he'd done.

He tried his best not to think about Ganondorf, or Zant, or Twilight, but he especially avoided thinking about her…it made the hollowness that lived inside his chest heavy and painful. He wasn't going to see her again, and he needed to accept that. With a mental shove he forced himself to look at the girl in front of him and grin.

"I know what you meant Ilia." Link chuckled "I almost died too many time this past year to want to try Bo's patience. He'd kill me. We'll go for a walk in Faron woods tomorrow. They should be nice now." He suggested

"I'd love that!" Ilia said with a wide smile

Link smiled back and looked around, realizing it was getting dark in earnest now.

"Speaking of Bo, we'd better head back before he wonders where you are. It's getting dark." Link said to her, standing and dusting himself off. He whistled and Epona trotted over to him, bumping her forehead against his shoulder.

"Yeah yeah, we're going home and then you can get some rest" Link said to the horse, patting her neck as he led her out of the spring, Ilia at his side.

When they reached his house, Link took Epona's saddle and bridle off and stored them on the post next to where she slept. He walked Ilia down the path to the edge of town as the last bit of light faded from the sky.

"I'll see you tomorrow Link." Ilia said, hesitating before pecking him on the cheek with a shy smile.

"Goodnight." Link said with a smile as she turned and walked the rest of the way to her house.

Link watched her back as she disappeared through her door then turned and wearily retraced his steps back up the path to his house. He climbed the ladder and opened the door mechanically, breathing a relieved sigh when he finally fell into bed. In minutes he was asleep, the swirling colors of dreams replacing the darkness of his room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Silence Before the Storm**

Link woke at dawn the next morning with ingrained punctuality. He always tried to catch a few extra hours of sleep on his rare days off, but he was so used to the rhythm of getting up with the sun that he just naturally woke up at this time every morning. He pushed off his blankets and stood in the cool morning air, yawning as he stretched his arms up to the sky, working the stiffness of yesterday's work out of his muscles. He thought of the day's plans and realized he had at least an hour to kill before Ilia would want to go anywhere. Looking around his small house he searched for something to pass the time.

Link didn't keep much of interest on the main floor of his house; the village kids came poking around far too often for him to leave anything valuable or dangerous where they could get their hands on it. He essentially had several chairs, a table, a bookshelf, and what functioned for him as a kitchen on the main level. His room was much smaller, leaving only enough room for a bed, dresser and desk. The basement was where he kept anything interesting, and at the moment it was a mess.

When he'd finally made up his mind and climbed down both ladders, Link moaned at what the lantern light illuminated. Piles of things he'd picked up on his adventures and stored lay strewn on the floor in the midst of other things he'd acquired and stashed down here over the years.

"Next time I go on an adventure I'll have to make sure I clean up after myself." Link grumbled, wading through stacks of junk. He cursed as his boot collided with something sharp and metal that lay in the only semblance of a path there was. Link reached down and from the shadows he pulled out his clawshot.

"I forgot how big these were." He mumbled, looking at the two large metal claws he held.

_The wind howled around Link as he shot from tower to tower, fighting his way through the storm and climbing his way to the top. The dragon roared as he reached his goal and continued onward, rocketing around the circle of Peahats. Blinding light pierced through the gray of the sky as Argorok released a jet stream of blistering flames, trailing Link around the circle. Link spotted his chance when the beast paused facing the opposite direction. With quick and precise aim Link attached himself to the dragon's back. Argorok flailed in an attempt to throw him off, but before the dragon could succeed, Link raised his sword and sunk it into the weak spot on the dragon's back. The dragon began to uncontrollably spew fire, as Link shot to a tower and made his way back to the ground, where he watched the beast explode into what would be a piece of the Twilight Mirror…_

Link shook his head to rid himself of the forceful memory and placed the clawshot inside a large chest at the far end of the room. He turned around and, bracing himself, began to search through the assorted piles. He felt his hand brush something gritty and with a sharp tug he pulled up the spinner, still riddled with sand. Not bothering to dust it off he tossed it in the chest as well and continued on his search.

When he found his bow and quiver a satisfied grin lit up his face. He'd always figured he'd put them down here after he'd returned, but despite his desire to find them, he'd never gone looking. Link placed them by the ladder so he wouldn't lose them again and dove back into the mess.

After about an hour of searching and sorting, Link had organized the greater portion of his basement. Deciding to work through one more pile before he found Ilia, he dove into a stack. Most of what he came up with was complete trash that he couldn't even remember why he'd kept in the first place, but as he neared the end of the pile he brushed against something that he instantly new wasn't trash. Pulling it from the stack he saw it was a bottle, somehow still intact, filled with a shimmering purple liquid. As soon as he recognized what it was another memory flashed across his mind.

_Black lightning shot from Midna's hands and raced up the large piece of Eldin Bridge. With visible effort she tore it from the ground as Link watched. In the brief seconds before he followed the stone structure into the portal, he noticed a cave where the bridge had been stuck in the sand; however, and before he could say anything to Midna, they were gone, reappearing at the Bridge of Eldin and replacing the missing piece._

"_We have to go back." He'd said to her immediately after the damage had been restored._

"_Why?" Midna asked, puzzled. _

"_There was a cave underneath the bridge, there's got to be something down there." Link said, feeling the excitement of the unknown race through him._

"Dammit." Link growled, pushing the memory away and standing up. "Now I know why I never came down here." He said, stalking to ladder and scooping up his quiver and bow in his arms. He climbed the ladder slowly and slammed the door to the basement shut. He set the bottle and bow down on the table in the middle of the room and climbed the ladder to his room. Irritated with himself, he opened his wardrobe, selected a clean shirt and pair of trousers and threw them on.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly, pausing to master himself. He didn't want to be in bad mood when he saw Ilia; he didn't want he questions or her searching look, no matter how well meaning they may be.

Link opened his door and blinked into the bright sunlight, allowing his vision to adjust for a moment. Then without a backward glance he leapt off of his little porch and landed skillfully below with a muffled thud. He strode off down the path and was about halfway into town when he met up with Ilia.

"Good morning sleepy head. I thought I was going to have to come and wake you up if you didn't come get me soon." Ilia teased with a smile

"I never over sleep." Link scoffed "I was just organizing some things because I thought you might still be asleep."

"Excuses, excuses." Ilia laughed "Come on, let's go before someone finds us and asks us to do work."

Ilia grabbed Link's hand and led him down the path to Faron woods. Even though most of the monsters were gone now that Ganondorf had been defeated, the villagers didn't go there often merely out of habit. Link had surveyed the forest several times since he'd been home, mostly to make sure it was safe for everyone now, but he hadn't left Ordon in a few weeks and it was going to be nice to see something besides little houses and long stretches of crops.

They passed the spring and carefully crossed the wooden bridge leading into Faron. Almost immediately the gentle hills of Ordon gave way to towering trees that threw interwoven patches of shade across the grass. Link and Ilia stepped slowly into the trees, hands still clasped as they stepped into the cooler forest air.

"Colin was talking about you yesterday." Ilia said as the meandered aimlessly through the trees.

"What about?" Link asked, paying attention to Ilia, but also carefully watching and listening to their surroundings out of habit.

"Something about you promising to teach him how to ride a horse or something. I told him to just go ask you, but you know how he is about things sometimes." Ilia shrugged

Link was silent for a moment, trying to remember his promise. When he did he laughed, it was funny how long ago it felt.

"Now I remember. I told him that over a year ago, before everything happened." He said, still chuckling. "That kid has a mind like a steel trap; well I'll certainly still teach him if he wants to learn, Epona's more than docile enough with the kids. Some of the ways I've seen them tease her and she's only ever nicked them with her teeth for it. That mare has more patience than I do."

Ilia laughed "It would be good for him I think. He's gotten a lot better this year…but Malo and Talo still tease him a lot."

"Like you said, he takes it a lot better now." Link replied "I've heard him throw some jabs their way a few times even, and they're pretty good ones too."

"With Rusl for a father I'm not surprised." Ilia laughed

"Oh, I learned not to test my wits against that man a long time ago. When we used to spar we'd banter back and forth sometimes, throwing ridiculous insults and all that. If I got the better of him he promptly planted my face in the dirt." Link chuckled, wrinkling his nose as the memory of the many times that had happened smarted in his mind.

"Prideful, ambitious, courageous and dangerous, yet one of the most loyal and caring people you'll ever meet…you two are a lot alike you know." Ilia mused

"I'll take that as a compliment." Link grinned. They'd become more friends than student and teacher as Link had aged, but Rusl had always been the closest thing to a father he'd ever had.

"How's your dad doing?" Link asked Ilia, changing the subject

"Trying to do too much as usual." Ilia sighed with exasperated fondness "He's trying to oversee everything and it's really wearing him down."

"Maybe you should've taken this walk with him." Link joked, spotting a large tree and making his way toward it, Ilia trailing jut behind him. He sat down cross legged and leaned against the tree's trunk, motioning for Ilia to sit down next to him.

Ilia relaxed back against the thick trunk as well "He never would have come. He thinks the whole village will implode if he takes a day off." She shook her head

"Eh, he'll run himself out eventually. He'll collapse, take a good long nap, and be good as new." Link reassured

"I hope you're right." Ilia sighed, staring off into the trees. Silence fell between them, filled intermittently with the chatter of the forest creatures. Link felt the gap that had grown between them prominently in moments like this; before if they ran into moments of silence it was always easy, companionable, now it was uncomfortable and empty.

The pair sat side by side, each looking into the depths of the trees as the silence stretched out between them, tension mounting until it was palpable in the air. Link had made up his mind to say something, anything to break the silence when he heard the faintest of rumbling in the distance, and felt a slight trembling in the earth beneath his fingers. He turned to Ilia, puzzled.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, looking to her for validation.

"No, I didn't hear anything." Ilia replied, looking up at him with confusion. The rumbling occurred again, this time a little louder, and the earth trembled again beneath him.

"Surely you heard it that time, or at least felt that." Link demanded, sitting up abruptly from the tree.

"Link what are you talking about, I didn't hear or feel anything." Ilia said her gaze shifting from one of confusion to concern.

Again an ominous sound rippled gratingly through the air and the ground shuddered, and Link could see in the fearful understanding in Ilia's eyes that she finally knew what he was talking about.

"Link, what is that?!" she asked standing up abruptly, looking around with wide eyes.

"I don't know…" Link said, standing up beside her slowly, straining his ears, trying to pin down the source of the sound.

Instead of a louder grumbling however, all sound in the forest suddenly vanished. No birds or squirrels, even the wind seemed to die as the rustling leaves fell quiet. The silence pressed on for a few suffocating moments and finally broke with and explosive roar as if sound had come rushing back into the world all at once. The earth shook and convulsed violently and the sound rippled through the space around Link and Ilia.

Ilia's scream was lost in the cacophony as trees groaned and bent, tearing themselves out of the ground by their roots and crashing noisily to the ground.

Link glanced back at the massive tree behind them and realized they needed to move, now.

"Ilia we have to get out of here!" he shouted, pulling her forward and dashing back toward Ordon through the collapsing forest. Ilia clung to his hand with an iron grip and together they wove their way out of Faron woods, leaving the deafening thunder of crashing trees behind them.

When they'd finally reached the safety of his home, Link stopped to catch his breathe. Extracting his hand from Ilia's terrified, vice-like grip, he ran it through his hair, trying to mentally absorb what had just happened. The forest had literally just pulled itself out of the ground. How was that even possible?

"Link what…what was that?!" Ilia asked tearfully. Link turned and saw the wet tracks fearful tears had blazed down her cheeks. She was shaking and there was nothing he could say to comfort her.

As he looked at her, Link could feel the dreaded familiarity of helplessness wash over him. He'd only ever felt this way a few times in his life; when Ilia and the children had been captured, when he'd been cursed in wolf form and Midna had lain dying on his back. It was a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that could never be forgotten.

Footsteps trampled down the road and when Link turned, he saw practically the whole village charging on his doorstep, clamoring for his attention.

"Link we heard crashing, what happened?!"

"Link are you and Ilia all right?!"

Link looked from face to frantic face and was at a loss for words. He couldn't explain what had just happened and he didn't know what to say to calm everyone down. Finally a shrill whistle pierced the din and one by one the villagers turned to look at Bo, who had issued the high pitched sound.

"Everybody just calm down, I'm just going to ask Link here what exactly happened, I'm sure there's an explanation." Bo said, turning back to Link.

Before anyone could get a word out however, another set of footsteps pounded up the path. One of the field hands sprinted into the crowd, panting and out of breathe.

"Mayor…you have to come see…the fields… they're gone!" he gasped through short puffs of air.

"Gone, what do you mean gone?" Bo demanded, striding up to the man.

"I don't know sir, all I know is that one minute they were there and the next, it was like the earth was tearing itself apart." The man replied fearfully

"Sounds about right." Link said grimly

Bo looked back at Link and then without a word hurried out of the clearing, Link and the rest of the villagers close behind. They passed through town and when they finally reached the edge of the fields instead of harvest ready wheat, giant chasms dotted the landscape, plunging thousands of feet down into the ground.

No one spoke for several minutes, staring in silent fear at the new additions to their town. Finally, Bo broke the silence.

"Link have you ever seen anything like this?" he asked

"Those crevices look vaguely like the ones in Gerudo desert. " Link said, his brow furrowed "But the earth just tearing open like this…no never. The great crashing sounds you all heard was Faron forest pulling itself out of the ground."

Bo turned back to look at the chasms, and then quickly turned to the field hand who'd brought the news.

"Is everyone alright and accounted for?" he asked gruffly

"We're still looking for Jason and Liam." The man responded quietly, the tone of his voice telling Bo all he needed to know about the probability of finding them. He nodded and turned slowly back to the crowd.

"I need you all to go back home and stay there until we figure out if it's safe to be wandering about. We don't know what caused this yet, but we intend to find out."

The crowd trickled away slowly, muttering theories and fears to one another as they left. Soon only Rusl, Link, Bo and Ilia remained.

Bo sighed wearily "Link, Rusl, what are we going to do about this." he asked

The two men glanced at each other, and Rusl spoke up first.

"We need to find out why this is happening. I can look around here, that'll also keep me around in case anything else potentially deadly comes of this; but I doubt we'll find much information." Rusl suggested, glancing at Link.

"I'll go to Hyrule Castle and talk to Princess Zelda. Even if she doesn't know much, the royal library is, or at least was, extensive; there has to be something there." Link offered

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go around to all the houses and make sure everyone's doing alright. Link you should leave first thing in the morning." Bo said before walking away. Rusl nodded solemnly to Link and then started working his way through the deep gorges.

Ilia rubbed her arm and stared down at her feet "So I guess you're leaving again." she said sadly

"You know I have to." Link replied, walking over and placing a gentle had on her shoulder.

"And you aren't going to be back for a long time, I know you." she continued, looking up at him.

"Someone has to go." he answered, frowning down at her

"Does it really have to be you?" Ilia asked "You've done so much already, what if you don't come back this time."

Looking down at her in that moment, Link knew exactly why distance had grown between them in the last six months. This part of him, the warrior and the adventurer, had no place in her life, but it was who he was.

"Ilia" Link sighed wearily "The reason I have to go is because I've already done so much. Things aren't going to go back to the way they were. Even if this hadn't of happened, I would've left eventually."

As he spoke, Link knew that he could not have said anything more true. The restlessness and wanderlust that had pervaded his personality his whole life had become an irrevocable part of him. He could see Ilia losing the battle with her tears as they pooled in her eyes, and he knew he needed to leave.

"I will be back though." He said softly "I promise."

Gently he hugged her until he felt her trembling subside slightly, then quietly he released her and turned back toward his house without another word.

Far outside of the borders of Hyrule, thousands of miles to the southeast stood the crumbling remains of a glistening white marble structure. Large chunks lay broken down around a vast circle of soaring pillars that no longer had a roof to support. In the center a raised dais supported a large mirror made of rose tinted glass cradled by a golden frame. Directly across from the mirror stood a giant block of rose quartz; taller than two men it caught the sunlight and splayed it around the ruins in dancing patterns of color.

A small yellow wren darted from the trees and landed on top of the mirror, posturing and showing off for his female friends in the trees. Before he could entice any of them to join him however, the ground began to shake and with an alarmed tweet the little bird shot off of the mirror and into the sky, followed closely by the other birds in the trees.

As the earth quaked the mirror suddenly sprang to life, the runes inside twisting and turning until they projected onto the large block of quartz. The moment they had settled a dark figure shot head first out of the portal colliding hard with the ground and rolling several feet before their momentum was spent.

Slowly the figure lifted their head, revealing slim, feminine features and icy blue eyes. She watched as the ground around the mirror shook harder and with an echoing crack, the large block of quartz fractured in the middle.

"That's going to cause trouble later." she muttered to herself. She shook her head to toss her black bangs out of her face and instead felt sharp pain that turned the world a shocking fuzzy white and then fell black as she collapsed back to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Journey Begins**

No bright sun rose on Ordon village the next morning. The sky was darkly overcast, blanketed with heavy clouds that seemed intent on erasing any cheerful hope the villagers had had for the day, even the sunlight.

The transition from night to day was slow and sluggish, and its affect could be seen in everyone as they went about their daily business more gravely than usual; all except one. Link had risen at dawn just as he always did, though there was no rising sun to indicate the time. With determined precision he'd gone through his little house, packing the few things he wanted to take with him. Without Midna to carry the spoils of his previous quests, he'd have to make do without most of it.

In a small sack he packed just enough rations to get him to Hyrule castle, figuring he could restock there if needed. He also carefully slipped in the bottle with the shimmering purple liquid. It was fairly small, and you never knew when you were going to need great fairy's tears; it could come in handy. He also grabbed a thick blanket, realizing he'd probably half to camp outside at least one night on this trip.

Digging in the back of his wardrobe, Link found the green tunic that had been his companion over the past year. Checking to make sure there were no tears or holes, he pulled it on over the light leather armor he had decided to wear for traveling purposes. Chain mail would only weigh him down on a trip like this, and he wasn't planning on running into anything that could hit him hard enough to cut through it; maybe bruise or break something, but he wouldn't be gored to death.

On his desk lay his sword, the one that he had used before acquiring the Master sword. He lifted it and felt its weight in his hand, giving it a few practice swings before sliding it into its sheath over his shoulder. It felt heavier and more awkward than the Master sword would have, but until he talked to Zelda it would have to do. After his sword he strapped his shield into place; hardly even dented it was extraordinarily hardy. For the finishing touch, Link swung his quiver and bow over his opposite shoulder and pulled his green cap down over his head.

Link turned with a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He took a stunned step backward as a powerful wave of nostalgia crashed into him. His battle with Ganondorf had never felt so far away, and quite as recent as it did in that moment. With a look as hard as steel Link turned away from the mirror and climbed the ladder down from his room. Taking one last swift look around his house to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything, Link crossed the room and stepped out into the gloomy morning, closing his door behind him.

He climbed down the last ladder to the ground, not willing to risk dropping anything with a quick jumping descent. He walked over to Epona who was awake and alert already as she always was; she was just as used to getting up at this time as Link was. Link ran his hand over her back and under her belly where the saddle's girth rested to make sure there was nothing there that could irritate the mare. Then, he grabbed his saddle and saddle blanket and slung it over her back, adjusting it until it sat correctly. He reached under her belly and grabbed the girth strap, pulling it through the buckle and tightening it just a little snugger than it felt like it should go.

"You can breathe out now." He said to the mare with a half smirk.

With a puff of air that sounded like a snort of derision, Epona exhaled, shrinking the width of her mid-section sizably. The girth was no longer extremely tight, but safely snug.

"I know you're tricks by now you old nag." Link teased with affection, scratching her between the ears. He reached over and grabbed her bridle off the post and slid it over her nose and ears, fitting the bit in between her teeth. He hadn't wanted to use a bit with her at first, fearing she might have a sensitive mouth, but the stubborn horse had soon proven that without a bit she could and would go just where she pleased if the fancy struck her, so Link had switched from a simple halter to a full bridle.

Link tied his bag of rations and blanket to the back of his saddle, and then with one last check of Epona's tack, he stuck his left foot in the stirrup and swung up into the saddle. He glanced around the clearing, relieved that no one had come to see him off. Dealing with saying goodbye to anyone would only slow him down and make things harder.

With a slight tap of his heels, Epona started forward at a trot and Link left behind his home once again without looking back.

Link let Epona set an easy pace as they passed Ordon spring and crossed the bridge into Faron woods. He pulled the mare to a stop and stared in dismayed awe at the sight that greeted him when he entered where the forest used to stand. As far as he could see the ground was littered with giant trees that had once towered proudly over the landscape below, the forest was gone.

Shaking his head to break the ominous spell, Link eased Epona forward at a walk, guiding her around the long trunks of trees that now lay in their way.

As they meandered through the remains of the forest Link was surprised at the amount of wildlife that he was able to see. Without the trees to shelter them, deer huddled together out in the open and birds hopped over the ground and through the fallen branches, bewildered by the new position of their favorite perches. There seemed to be no end to the number of squirrels Link saw, scurrying across fallen trunks and branches and chattering noisily to one another. The noise was a blessing in that it kept eerie silence at bay, but after about an hour it had become so irritating that Link swore that when he got back, the first thing he was going to do was go squirrel hunting.

Link was minutes away from declaring a full on vendetta against the furry little creatures when he reached the clearing where Coro lived. As he stepped into the clearing, the cacophony of chattering died away, and Link breathed a sigh of relief as he could hear himself think again.

Deciding to take an early lunch so he could ride longer through Hyrule field, Link dismounted and led Epona over to where Coro usually sat by the fire. Surprisingly as Link glanced around the clearing, the young man was nowhere to be found. Figuring he must be in the house, Link tied Epona to a nearby post and knocked on Coro's door. A few minutes past with no answer so Link knocked again, more forcefully.

"Coro come on I know you're in there." He said

"Who…who is it?" came a tremulous voice from inside

"It's Link, don't you remember me?" Link replied impatiently. He heard timid footsteps and the door creaked open slowly.

"Of course I remember you!" Coro exclaimed, stepping outside "You got rid of all those forest monsters, made things a lot easier around here for me…well till now." He added as an afterthought.

"You're talking about the trees aren't you?" Link asked with a frown

"You mean the fact that the whole forest just went and tore itself up! Yes, yes I'm talking about the trees" Coro exclaimed fearfully "What happened?" he asked, looking at Link as if he must have the answer.

"I don't know yet." Link said grimly "But I'm going to find out and fix it, don't worry." he said reassuringly, though he had no idea how he was going to manage that.

"Oh…oh well that's good." Coro sighed looking around. "Is there anything you need?" he asked

"Not really, I was just about to eat lunch and I thought you might not mind some company." Link shrugged

"I wouldn't mind, I just put some soup on the fire earlier, it should be done. You want some?" Coro offered.

"I think I'll pass thanks." Link said, remembering the last time he'd tasted the stuff. It was more tar than soup.

Link grabbed his bag of supplies and selected a few pieces of jerky and a hard biscuit for his lunch, then walked over and sat down next to Coro.

"So where are you headed?" Coro asked, poring himself a bowl of the thick black soup.

"Castle Town, I want to see if Princess Zelda has any idea about why all this is happening." Link replied, tearing into a piece of jerky. It was good, but he knew he was going to get tired of it very quickly.

"If anyone would know what's going on, I guess it would be her. I don't know much about this kind of stuff." Coro shrugged

"You're not the only one." Link muttered, finishing his jerky and starting on his biscuit.

"Did anything like the forest happen in town?" Coro asked, somehow stomaching his awful soup.

"A bunch of chasms opened up where the fields were." Link replied, realizing that the biscuit was so hard he could chip a tooth if he wasn't careful.

"That sounds scary, anybody get hurt?" Coro asked with wide eyes.

"Two of the new farm hands, Liam and Jason, were still missing the last I heard. It looked like they weren't going to be found." Link said grimly, really thinking about it for the first time. He hadn't known the two men for very long, they were twin brothers who had just moved to Ordon to help out in the fields. This thing, whatever it was, had most likely killed them; and the more Link thought about it, the angrier it made him. He had to find out what was going t=on, and put a stop to it.

"That's bad, I'm sorry." Coro said sadly, looking down at his soup.

Silence fell for several minutes as both fell to their lunches. Finally, Link gave up on the biscuit and broke the silence.

"Thanks for the company Coro, but I should probably get going, I have a lot more ground to cover today." Link said as he finishing up.

"Hey no problem. Say, you wouldn't happen to need any lantern oil would you?" Coro asked hopefully. Business had been pretty slow through the woods lately.

"Not where I'm headed sorry. Maybe on my way back." Link offered, cleaning up and unhitching Epona from the post.

"Be careful out there." Coro said as Link mounted and nudged Epona to a trot.

"Will do." Link called over his shoulder as Epona left the clearing and started down the path toward Hyrule field.

Across Hyrule, two soldiers entered the sparse thrown room of Hyrule castle and stopped at the door when they noticed the empty high backed wooden chair ahead.

"I thought you said she'd be in here." the man on the left muttered to the other, his voice still carrying slightly through the open room.

"Gentlemen do come in, I'll be with you in a moment." came an authoritative voice from the far right corner.

The two men turned, chagrined, to see Princess Zelda standing with her back to them at a table with a member of the Lords' Council. Slowly they approached the makeshift throne, able to catch snippets of the hushed conversation taking place ahead.

"We've seen worse natural disasters than this Your Highness, the damage from this earthquake should be easily repairable."

"But that's the point I think you're missing Lord Ramsey. I don't believe this was a natural earthquake. It didn't seem like it had enough power to do some of the damage that I've seen. Things just fell apart." Zelda replied, forcing herself to remain patient. They'd been having the same conversation for thirty minutes now and he still refused to listen to her.

"Princess, perhaps we should revisit this topic at a later time, I believe your men would like to speak with you." Lord Ramsey said, neatly ending the conversation and making it clear that he had long dismissed her idea as pure paranoia.

"Of course. Good afternoon Lord Ramsey." Zelda said, forcibly remaining pleasant under his patronizing manner.

Turning away from the table she walked over and settled down into her wooden throne, giving the waiting soldiers her full attention.

"We've come to give you the preliminary damage report Your Highness." The soldier on the right stated

"Alright, how bad is it?" Zelda asked, bracing herself for the answer

"In town the damage was surprisingly minor. There was a lot of small pieces of rubble from houses lying about in the streets, and it appeared that one or two houses completely collapsed but no one was seriously injured." the soldier reported crisply.

"Well that's good news, why do you look so grim?" Zelda asked

"There's more ma'am. The south road, it's been completely blocked by rockslides, worse than I've ever seen it. Even with help from the few Gorons that were in town selling their goods, it's going to take days, if not weeks to get it cleared away." the second soldier responded unhappily.

Zelda sighed wearily "Well, anyone trying to get to Castle town in the near future may have to take a detour. How are the other entrances?"

"We haven't had any reports of any other collapses Your Highness, we sent a man out to ensure the Great Bridge of Hylia was still intact earlier. He should be back shortly." he informed her

"Good, have him come see me as soon as he gets back." Zelda said "Is there anything else."

"No ma'am that is all." The soldier on the left stated.

"Thank you gentlemen, you are dismissed." Zelda said, waving her hand to indicate they could leave. With quick bows both men turned and exited the room.

"If this so called earthquake spread as far across Hyrule as I suspect…" Zelda mused, standing and returning to the wooden table she'd been standing at earlier. She looked down at the map that was spread across the table, displaying all of Hyrule for her to see. "Then Link could very well be on his way here right now, knowing him." she finished her thought, then smiled and chuckled at herself "Well, one can hope anyway. He'd certainly put Ramsey and the rest of them in their place." Zelda shook her head and looked back down at the map, studying the damage to see if there were any patterns, but the longer she looked, the more scattered the points seem to be.

"None of this makes any sense." she muttered to herself, frustrated.

It was just past noon when Link reached the bridge stretching over southern Hyrule field's gorge. Checking Epona's pace a bit, he eased her over the wooden bridge into the main part of the field.

"We're making pretty good time, at this pace we'll be nearly out of the field before we have to stop for the night." Link said, looking up at the sun to guess the time.

Though the forest had been virtually cleansed of monsters, they still ran rampant in the fields, often causing trouble for travelers on the road. He hadn't run into any Bokoblins yet, and he was hoping to continue avoiding them. The only trace of monsters as far as he could see were a couple of Kargarocs soaring in the distance. He'd be able to deal with the great birds later if need be.

Despite his wishes to avoid the beasts at all costs, Link began to be worried as over an hour past on the road and he still hadn't seen a single Bokoblin. Usually at this point he would've at least seen several out in the distance even if none attacked him.

He was just deciding to tread a little more warily when Epona passed through two clumps of trees, and the world burst into action. Angry screeches crashed into Link from both sides as Bokoblins rushed out of the trees, swarming horse and rider. The impact from the large horde knocked Epona off of her feet and sent Link tumbling over the ground. He felt a sharp sting on his right arm where one of the creatures nicked him as he fell and a warm trickle of blood seeped down his arm. Epona rose to her feet quickly, and did her best to keep the Bokoblins off of her, but there were too many to keep track of.

As the creatures started to climb onto the mare, Link got to his feet and charged back into the horde, his sword hastily drawn. The monsters' angry cries soon turned to squeals of pain as Link cut through them one by one. The Bokoblins were strong and carried large weapons, but they were too slow and clumsy to evade Link's quick slices and stabs.

Link quickly fought his way to Epona, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. When he finally reached his horse only two were left, one clinging to her legs and one on her back. With a quick downward jab to the throat Link finished the one on Epona's legs, then with a precise momentum change, he swung upward and decapitated the Bokoblin on her back, dispatching with the last of them.

Breathing harder than he would've liked, Link surveyed the seen around him. The Bokoblins had obviously set an ambush for a passing traveler; he doubted it had explicitly been set for him. All in all there had been about fifteen of them, and Link realized this probably explained their strange absence throughout the rest of the field.

He looked down at the cut on his arm and saw that it wasn't very deep; it had already almost stopped bleeding. Relieved that he really didn't need to bandage it, he calmed Epona down. The mare was prancing, snorting and violently tossing her large head, as if to tell Link how unhappy she was that they'd waltzed right into a trap.

"You're the one with the great sense of smell, you should've warned me." Link scolded affectionately, stroking her forehead until she settled down.

He checked to make sure the monsters hadn't hurt her, and then double checked his saddle and supplies to ensure everything was still tightly tied. After he was satisfied it was safe to carry on, Link mounted Epona and left the carnage behind.

To make up time and also to avoid similar ambushes, Link left the main road and set a course through the heart of the field. He let Epona slide into a smooth cantor, and watched the landscape as it rolled by.

They managed to avoid any more major creature encounters and by the time the sun had nearly set, they had reached the beginning of the pass leading to Castle town.

"Good, we'll be able to use the rock walls for a bit of shelter." Link said, deciding to ride a bit further into the pass before stopping for the night.

After only about ten minutes however, Link found his way blocked by a giant mountain of rocks, all collapsed in from the walls on both sides. He surveyed the blockage for a few minutes, and realized he was never going to get through this way.

"Well Epona, looks like we're making camp here for the night." he said to the mare, who nickered in response. Link dismounted and untied his bedroll and supplies, setting them down on a smooth, level patch of ground. He reached under Epona and undid the saddle's girth strap, lifting it and placing it on a large rock next to his other supplies. He ran his hands over and around where the saddle had been, and satisfied that Epona wasn't developing any sores, he plopped down on his thick blanket.

"Sorry girl the bridle has to stay, just in case. Don't wander off tonight." Link said and Epona responded with a snort. She leaned her head down and began to snuffle around the ground, tearing up small patches of grass that she found.

"Of course the road had to be blocked. Nothing's ever easy." Link muttered, frustrated. He rolled over, placing his hands behind his head and looked up at the vast night sky.

"Going west would probably prove faster than going east at this point. It'll take me almost half a day to get to the Great Bridge of Hylia and almost a whole day to get to Kakariko Village…but if the bridge is damaged at all that puts me even further behind. It would probably be better to get to Kakariko, stay the night, and then carry on into east Hyrule Field. I can get to Castle town in under a day if I just follow the gorge." Link mused out loud to himself. After debating for a few more minutes, he settled on east.

Link checked to make sure Epona wasn't wandering too far, and then with a last look at his surroundings he rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Link woke suddenly when he felt something soft tickling his face. He sat bolt upright quickly, and collided head first into Epona's forehead. The horse shied away quickly and Link cursed in pain and rubbed his forehead. If horses' could laugh, Epona would've been, and Link simply glared at her.

"Of course it didn't hurt you, you hard headed nag." Link grumbled "I'm going to have a headache for the rest of the day now." he groaned, picking himself up off of his blanket and rolling it up. He packed up the rest of his supplies and secured his saddle on Epona's back, going through the same tightening ritual as yesterday.

When he had everything tied back on the saddle, Link mounted and kicked Epona into a healthy canter; they had to travel a little faster today.

Link made it all the way through Hyrule field and into Kakariko Gorge without incident and in good time. As the sun began its long descent from high noon position, Link crossed the bridge that spanned the large ravine and made his way into the northern half of the gorge.

As twilight fell over the land once more, Link arrived at the gates of Kakariko Village. He dismounted Epona and led her into the village, letting her cool off. He'd pushed her much harder today, and she was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He'd have to wash her down in the spring before he went to bed tonight.

In the distance he heard his name being called and looked up to see Luda, the shaman's daughter, running toward him and waving. He waved back with a smile, and waited for her to approach.

"Link! I didn't know you were coming to visit! Did you tell father?" Luda asked

Link chuckled at her enthusiasm "No, this is sort of an impromptu trip. I'm on my way to see Princess Zelda and the main road was blocked so I thought I'd pass through here."

"Are you going to see her about the earthquakes?" Luda asked

"Yes, anything bad happen around here?" Link asked, not surprised at this point that the so called earthquakes had spread this far.

"Death Mountain erupted worse than I've ever seen it. Dad said it was pretty bad, but not the worse he's seen, and nobody got hurt." Luda stated

"Huh, would Renado happen to be anywhere around here?" Link asked, looking down the street.

"He's at home, I'll go with you." Luda declared, leading Link over to the shaman's house.

Luda opened the door "Dad, guess what! Link's here!" she yelled into the house as she let Link in, then closed the door behind them.

Renado appeared from another room quickly with his quite smile.

"Link, so good to see you again. What brings you to Kakariko?" Renado asked, beckoning Link to sit with him on a bench by the window.

"Nothing good." Link replied grimly, sitting down next to the shaman.

"Ah, Luda, go check on Seline and her little girl to make sure they've settled in all right would you?" Renado asked in a tone of voice that indicated it was not merely a suggestion.

"Okay, I'll take care of them, don't worry." Luda smiled as she exited the house, closing the door behind her.

"Now we can talk. Does the strange earthquake have anything to do with your visit?" Renado asked seriously.

"It's the whole reason I left. Faron forest tore itself out of the ground, and where the fields used to be; now there are just a bunch of fissures. Two of our men went missing, and the odds of finding them alive weren't good." Link answered, growing agitated as he spoke.

"The forest is no more? The extent of this 'earthquake' is very troubling" Renado frowned deeply.

"Did you hear how it got really quiet beforehand, and then a low rumbling in the distance?" Link asked

"Yes that's exactly how it went here. It seems this phenomenon spread across the entire kingdom." Renado pointed out "And I do not believe it to be a normal earthquake as most here are shrugging it off to be. It was too…unnatural." Renado mused, looking out the window at the dusty streets.

"Hopefully the princess will have some insight into this, or know where to get some." Link said, following Renado's gaze outside.

"Princess Zelda is a ruler wise beyond her years. I'm sure she'll find some way to help you." Renado replied standing; Link followed suit.

"Would you happen to have an extra bed at the inn tonight? I'd like to avoid the ground if I can help it." Link asked with a half grin.

"It's a lot fuller than you'll remember, but there's always a bed for you here Link." Renado smiled down at him. "I'll go over there and make sure they know you're coming so you won't have to worry about it. You should go see to your horse." Renado said, walking out into the streets.

"Thank you, I'll see you later." Link waved, fetching Epona and leading her to the spring.

Renado was right about the village being different than he remembered. All of the boarded up houses had been repaired, and people of all ages moved along the main street, talking to one another and laughing. Link felt slightly out of place among so many new faces, the last time he'd been here it had been Renado, Luda, the village kids and Barnes. Now the town flourished with life.

Link led Epona over to the spring and removed her saddle and bridle. He stripped off his boots and rolled up his pants and sleeves, then led Epona into the water. He rubbed down her legs with the healing water, and then moved on to the rest of her. By the time he was done, they were both sopping wet and it was dark outside.

He brought Epona, his tack, and clothes over to the side of the inn. He placed his saddle and bridle on a post and looked at his horse.

"Sleep here girl." he said, rubbing her nose briefly before retrieving his clothes and walking inside.

"First door up the stairs to your right." The woman running the inn informed him as he walked in. With an appreciative wave he mounted the stairs and found the indicated room. He placed his sword, shield and quiver on the table next to his bed, and his boots under it. Since he was sleeping inside he stripped off his tunic and leather armor, placing them next to his other gear.

Finally relieved of his equipment, Link collapsed into bed and was out in minutes.

Link set off early the next morning, before most of the town was awake. Renado came to see him off, giving him a few fresh pieces of bread for lunch so he wouldn't have to put up with the hard tack.

When Link finally stopped to eat the bread, he was just over half way there. The sun was high in the sky as he dismounted Epona and sat down next to the edge of the giant canyon that lined east Hyrule Field. He finished the delicious bread quickly and resumed riding, using the gorge as a guide.

When the sun set, Link cautiously kept riding, knowing he was finally close to his destination. The wooden bridge crossing into Castle town jumped out at Link in the darkness and with relief he led Epona over it and down the dirt path that led into the city

Just outside each entrance to the city, a small stable area had recently been built, and Link ensured Epona was comfortable before proceeding into the city.

Unsure as to where he should spend the night, Link wandered down the familiar path to Telma's bar. Despite her flourishing business, Telma had not made many noticeable modifications to the bar; it looked much the same as it always had.

Telma looked up as she somehow heard the door open and close amid the rabble of the customers, and a wide smile spread over her face when she saw Link cross the threshold.

"Link honey, so good to see you." Telma said, leaving her position behind the counter and wrapping Link in a stifling hug.

"It's about time I saw your face again. What brings you to my bar tonight?" Telma asked, looking him up and down.

"Well, honestly I needed a place to stay and I wasn't sure where else to go." Link replied a little sheepishly.

"Say no more, there's a little loft area where the attic used to be. You just climb up there and get some rest; I can tell that you're dog tired. Tomorrow we can talk about why you _really_ came to Castle town hmm?" Telma finished with a saucy wink

Link chuckled and shook his head "That sounds good to me Telma, I'll see you in the morning." he said, spotting the ladder in the corner and climbing to the new loft space.

He took off his gear and tested the bed, pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. He flopped down under the sheets with a happy groan. Tonight he would get some rest, and tomorrow he would talk to Princess Zelda and figure out this whole mess.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry about all the traveling last chapter, now we get to introduce more characters who will actually get developed, woohoo! And a little Princess Bride reference mostly for my amusement, but for yours as well if you catch it. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Searching For Answers**

Link woke early the next morning and was at first bewildered by his surroundings. He sat up suddenly; rubbing his eyes, and took in the small room. After a moment, everything that had happened came rushing back to him and he remembered where exactly he was; in the attic above Telma's bar.

He reached over to the table beside his bed where he had discarded his things, and pulled his tunic and boots back on. He stood after he finished lacing his boots and stretched, feeling well rested. He grabbed his sword, sheath, shield and quiver, and strapped them back where they belonged.

After he was fully clothed and armed, Link descended the ladder and took in the scene that greeted him. For the first time he'd ever seen, the bar was empty of patrons and Telma was busying herself with wiping down tables.

"Get enough beauty rest?" Telma asked, hearing Link's footsteps behind her.

"Plenty, and obviously you did too." Link teased, knowing how she was.

"Ohhh, I'm too old for you, you naughty thing." Telma scolded, though the effect was stolen by her laugh and her blush.

"Where is everyone? I've never seen this place so empty." Link asked, looking around.

"You've never been here at six in the morning honey; even the old drunkards are home by now." Telma replied, finishing the last table and tossing her rag in a bucket of soapy water on the floor.

"Now, let's get down to business. I'm sure you've got much more important things to do today than talk to me, so let's just get this out of the way before you bolt on outta here." Telma said, sitting down in a wooden chair and pulling one up for Link.

Link obliged and sat down across from her, waiting for her to continue.

"When I saw you last night I figured you hadn't just stopped in for a visit, so why don't you tell me what brought you clear across Hyrule?" Telma asked

"The earthquake that happened a couple days ago, it wasn't just an ordinary earthquake and I need to find out if Princess Zelda knows anything about it." Link replied earnestly. He trusted Telma, she'd helped him out a lot in the past year, and so had Renado. They had a right to know his suspicions, and what he was doing about them.

"I thought it might be something about that, it certainly was a strange thing, though I'm still not sure what all the fuss is about." Telma said with a frown

"The forest near my home destroyed itself and people have died. What if it happens again and we still have no idea what it is? I don't think whatever happened is a onetime occurrence." Link answered tensely.

As he spoke, Link realized that his voice fell flat when it should have echoed through the room. He stood suddenly and strode for the door.

"Link, what are you doing?" Telma asked, puzzled.

Ignoring her confusion, Link opened the door and listened. All around him people talked, dogs barked and carts clattered down the street, but something was wrong. All of the sounds should have floated and rung through the thoroughfare, instead they fell stagnant, as if the air was dead.

Nobody else seemed to notice the acoustical change, and nobody else heard the first rumble in the distance that heralded destruction.

"We have to move, now!" Link said, grabbing Telma by the wrist and pulling her out into the street behind him'

"Link, what in the world is going o-" Telma started to say, but was cut off by a loud grumble that echoed across the city. Several people looked up at the sky, expecting to see rain clouds, and were puzzled when nothing but clear blue met their gaze.

Telma's eyes widened. "Link where are we going?" she asked as they ran down the street.

"To the center square, away from all the buildings." he answered, dodging through the people as the ground groaned and began to shake.

People began to scream and run toward the square, forcing Link to slow down so that he could people weave. Behind them, Link heard the crash as stones from houses tumbled to the ground.

Link and Telma made it to the square and stood watching in horror as rooftops disappeared, leaving gaping holes in their place.

The town's people stood frozen, staring with mouths agape until a loud rumble behind them caught everyone's attention. Link whirled around and watched as a large chunk of the castle's newly built walls collapsed inward.

"Stay here Telma." Link said, darting through the crowd toward the castle. Several guards were already at the doors when Link arrived and had cleared away the small amount of rubble blocking them.

"Is the Princess alright?" Link asked, coming up behind him.

"We just got the door unblocked, we don't know yet." the guard said, barely masking the panic in his voice.

"Well we can't just stand here." Link said, opening the door.

The courtyard was littered with large chunks of rocks that Link maneuvered around and over to reach the main door, which was thankfully unblocked. He opened the door to what was currently functioning as the throne room and saw large piles of debris scattered throughout the room.

The soldiers arrived moments after Link and quickly began working their way through the room, calling for Zelda. Link followed suit.

"Princess!" he shouted, climbing through the rubble toward the back of the room. The wooden throne had been splintered beneath large chunks of stone and Link prayed Zelda had not been sitting there when they fell.

As he reached the throne he shouted again "Princess, where are you?"

"Over here!" came a muffled reply from the right hand corner of the room.

Link hurried over and saw that the falling rocks had formed a sort of wall around the corner, leaving the space inside open.

"Zelda, are you in there?" Link asked, looking up at the rather high pile of rocks.

"Link?! Thank the goddesses, yes it's me. I seem to have gotten myself trapped." she replied, peering up at the sheer wall in front of her.

"Well I can see that Princess. Have you tried climbing out?" Link asked, examining the wall.

"Yes, but climbing is a bit more difficult in a gown than in trousers." Zelda replied "I kept tripping and falling."

"Hold on, I'll come get you." Link said, looking for the best way up the pile. He spotted his route and then turned to look at the other soldiers still searching.

"I found her! She's alright!" he shouted to them and with excitement they started making their way to where Link stood.

Returning to the task at hand Link found his first handhold and foothold and began scaling the pile of debris. In a few moments he'd reached the top and he peered over to see Zelda with her back against the wall in a space that was just big enough for two.

Link descended swiftly, slightly sliding down the rocks at points, and soon his boots touched the ground. He turned to Zelda and cocked an amused grin.

"Did you miss me?" he joked, trying not to crowd her in the tight space.

Zelda laughed, trying to disguise the slight trembling in her voice

"That's great, can you be cute when we're not trapped behind two tons of rock?" she retorted

"As you wish." Link chuckled. He examined the tight space and then looked Zelda up and down, realizing she was right about the gown; she wouldn't be able to do much in it.

"Alright it looks like I'm going to have to carry you up somehow. I'm assuming you'd rather avoid a piggy back ride, so if you sit in my right arm and hold on around my neck I think I can get us out of here." Link said "Trade me spots."

After a little maneuvering, Link had his back against the wall and Zelda stood on his right.

"Ready?" Link asked. Zelda nodded so he scooped her up in his right arm and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Slowly Link began to climb, careful to keep Zelda snuggly balanced in his grip. At the top, he paused to assess the best way of getting down. Deciding to face the wall he turned and worked his way down the rocks until he felt his feet touch the ground. He stepped away from the wall and gently set Zelda back on the ground.

"Thank you." Zelda said softly, releasing an audible sigh of relief.

"No problem Princess." Link replied with a smile.

"Princess Zelda! Are you alright?" the soldiers exclaimed, rushing over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" Zelda replied calmly.

"Are you sure, we could send for-"

"Captain I don't want you to worry about me, I do not need the attention. I want you to take your men and split up into search parties. Comb the streets of this city until not a single person is unaccounted for." Zelda ordered, her voice reassuming an authoritative tone.

"Of course ma'am." The captain said, bowing before leading his men out of the throne room.

"Well this is a mess." Zelda said, looking around the destroyed throne room. "I'm assuming you came to me looking for answers about what this is and why it's happening. I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed in me, I only have wild guesses at best." she finished, turning to look at Link.

"I didn't expect you to have all the answers Princess." Link replied, using the title not as a formality but as almost more of a nickname. "But I was hoping you'd know where to start looking."

"What's left of the royal library is probably our best bet. After the castle was destroyed, we had all of the surviving books transported to Lord Ramsey's estate outside of town. We'll have to pay him a visit." Zelda said, unable to hide the grimace that flashed across her face.

"Is Lord Ramsey a distasteful fellow?" Link asked, noticing the look.

"More like a patronizing fool. I'll have to make him see sense somehow." Zelda frowned

"I could smack him around a bit if you like." Link offered with a devious grin.

Zelda's laugh pealed across the chamber. "I think I did miss you." she shook her head in amusement "No, I'm sure that won't be necessary, you won't have to go that far to scare him into sense. As soon as I make sure the search and rescue is running smoothly here I'll make arrangements to go."

"Anything you'd like me to do in the meantime?" Link asked, deciding he'd rather not just stand around and wait.

"You can help my men in the city; I'll find you when I'm ready." Zelda suggested

"Sounds good. I'll see you later Princess." Link said, walking out of the room with a wave.

He made his way outside and caught up with the soldiers as they were leaving.

"I can help look through the rubble for a while, where do you want me?" he asked the man Zelda had addressed as captain.

"You can go with Ashton and his men, they're headed for the western thoroughfare now." the captain replied.

"Alright." Link nodded, jogging out of the courtyard and toward the indicated street. He found the soldiers quickly, sifting through the rubble of a fallen house. He found Ashton working through the stone with his men instead of directing from the back like he'd expected.

"You here to help?" Ashton asked, grunting as he and another man shifted a large chunk of debris.

"For a while. Where do you need me?" Link asked

"Right here would be good for the moment." Ashton replied, straining with the effort to move the giant stone.

Without a reply Link moved to the backside of the wreckage and shoved, years of hard work wrangling goats and pushing plows showing as he considerably sped the process of moving the boulder.

When it had finally been shoved out of the way all three men stepped back, Ashton releasing a long breath and the other soldier wiped his brow. The soldier nodded to Ashton and moved over to another group of men who were working on another piece of rubble.

"Thanks for the help." Ashton turned to Link "Lieutenant Ashton Brooks" he said, extending his hand for Link to shake.

"Link" he replied, shaking Ashton's hand

"Link, that's it nothing else?" Ashton asked, surprised.

"No family name because technically I don't have one, and if I introduced myself by anything else people might call me it would just sound ridiculous." Link replied with a slight smile. "You get your hands dirtier than a lot of officers I've seen." he commented on the way Ashton had worked with the men.

"My hands are just as capable as theirs." Ashton shrugged.

"Fair point." Link replied as they both moved over to another large block of stone.

Slowly but surely, Link and the soldiers sifted through the collapsed house until they reached the foundation. To Link's relief they found no one trapped in the rubble and so moved down the street searching for any other large sites of ruin.

When they found another destroyed home, they methodically went to work removing the bricks and stone that lay askance in piles. After only a few moments, they heard muffled shifting and a tiny, terrified voice sniffling under the rocks.

"Is somebody there?" Ashton called, signaling for the soldiers to stop moving so that he could hear.

"Help me, please!" the little voice cried, loud enough for both the Lieutenant and Link to pinpoint where it had come from.

Moving up and to the left, both leaned down and listened through the rock, hearing the shuffling directly below them.

"Hold on, we're going to get you out." Link said, amazed that someone could survive being trapped under so much weight.

Ever so carefully, Link, Ashton and the soldiers moved aside small and large chunks of stone, trying to disturb the rest of the wreckage as little as possible for fear of causing further collapse. Every so often, Link or Ashton would reassure whoever was trapped that they would get them out soon, though they received no reply; only the occasional quiet whimpering. Finally they removed enough ruins that they could partially see the victim, and Link figured out how they'd survived the collapse. Two large wooden support beams had pinned what was now quite obviously a child to the floor of their home, and had protected them from being crushed by the weight of the rocks.

"Are you okay down there?" Ashton asked, bending closer to the trapped little form.

"Can you get me out, please get me out." the child replied in a quavering voice

"We'll get you out, don't worry." he replied, straightening back up and looking at Link. "The moment we move those pillars the rocks are going to start collapsing from the sides, we could try to move them first, but I'd rather not leave the poor kid down there any longer than we have to."

"We really only have to move one pillar if someone can get down there and pull them out before it falls." Link replied, examining the situation

"There really isn't enough space for more than one person to get a good angle on the wooden beam." Ashton frowned

"I can lift it for the time you'd need to get down there and out." Link offered, quickly estimating the weight of the beam.

"Are you sure? We can't let it collapse." Ashton asked, hesitant.

"I'm sure." Link replied confidently, sliding down under the beam. "Ready?"

Ashton nodded and moved closer down next to the child. "One, Two, Three." he counted out loud.

On three, Link positioned the wood on his shoulder and hefted upward with a grunt, suspending it above the victim. Ashton reached down and carefully pulled the child out as rocks around the beam began to crash to the ground. He looked down into the dirty and terrified face of a little girl, about nine years old, who was now clinging to his arms with a vice like grip.

Link darted out from under the support beam and it crashed back down with a loud crack, bringing assorted rubble with it.

"Is she alright?" Link asked, walking over to where Ashton stood with the little girl.

"Seems to be. Are you okay?" Ashton asked, looking the girl over to make sure there wasn't anything more serious than bruises and scratches.

The girl nodded quickly "Do you know where my mom is?" she asked tremulously, her eyes wide and still terrified.

"You're Elaina's daughter aren't you? I saw your mother in the central square on our way over here. She's probably still there." Ashton replied "I can't go with you right now though; I have to help other people."

"I make sure she finds her mom, I need to head back toward the castle anyway." Link offered

"Thanks. You don't mind going with him do you?" Ashton asked her

"No I'll go." she said, though she made no indication of moving from her position clinging to Aston's arms.

"Good well…you're going to have to let go then." Ashton replied gently, easing one of her hands off of his arm. The girl quickly removed the other one and moved in front of Link, staring up at him with big eyes.

"Come on let's find your mom." Link said, placing his hand behind her shoulders and guiding her past the soldiers and down the street.

When they reached the central plaza, Link realized locating the girl's mother was going to be more challenging than he thought. Nearly the entire city was crammed into the too small space, milling about in a giant mob.

Link looked down at the tiny form of the girl "I'm going to put you on my shoulders, you tell me when you spot your mom." he told her.

The girl nodded in understanding and Link reached down and hoisted her onto his shoulders. She wrapped her arms under his chin and around his neck tightly, and Link made a mental note to be careful or she'd likely start choking him.

He started weaving his way through the ground, trying to get the girl as good a view as possible. Five minutes into the search, Link heard a women's excited cry ahead through the crowd.

"There, that's my mom." the girl said excitedly, raising one hand and pointing at a woman who was quickly pushing her way through the crowd toward them.

Link reached up and lowered her off of his shoulders as Elaina approached. The woman wrapped her daughter in a fierce hug.

"Thank goodness you're alright, I've been looking all over for you what happened?" she asked, cupping her daughter's face.

"The house fell and I was stuck. The soldiers got me out." she said, pointing back to Link

Elaina approached Link "You don't appear the average soldier." she commented, looking at his attire.

"Well I'm not really, just helping them out a bit. They did most of the real work." Link replied, nodding toward the girl.

"In any case, thank you, for taking care of her." the woman replied, placing a hand on his arm.

"You're quite welcome. Stay away from the buildings for a while and you should be okay." Link replied, turning to make his way toward the castle with a smile and a wave.

The crowd was pushy and frantic, and eventually Link gave up on trying to be nice and muscled his way around people, finally making it to the other side of the square. Halfway up the incline that led to the castle door's Link met a soldier.

"I was just coming to find you. Princess Zelda said to inform you that she's organized for the two of you to leave for Lord Ramsey's estate first thing in the morning. She told me to have you find her about any other details, she's still in the throne room." the soldier relayed

"I'll go see her now, thanks." Link said, continuing into the castle. He found Zelda standing beside the ruins of her ruined throne, looking down at the splinters with a frown.

"Dreadfully uncomfortable block of wood." she spoke as she heard Link approaching. "But I thought if anything was going to break it, it would be me. This…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Is unexpected and terrifying because we know nothing, absolutely nothing, about it." Link finished her thought, coming to stand beside her. "We're going to change that." he reassured her.

Zelda looked at him with a small smile "If everyone had your confidence and determination I think we'd have a lot less problems"

"Or a lot more dead people. There seems to be a thin line between bravery and stupidity." Link replied with a snort.

"Let us hope you can navigate the edge effectively then." Zelda sighed. "You can stay in the castle tonight, we have a few guest rooms, nothing fancy I warn you. Tomorrow morning the crowds should have cleared and you'll be able to fetch Epona. It shouldn't take too long to reach the estate on horseback."

"How did our good lord respond to our little request?" Link asked, curious.

"Oh it wasn't a request, it was an order and he wasn't happy about it." Zelda responded with a slight grin of satisfaction.

"Sounds like he may not be very helpful tomorrow. What exactly will we be looking for?" Link asked

"Old histories and legends about Hyrule mostly I think" Zelda replied thoughtfully "There must be passing mention of something that can clue us in on our current circumstances."

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Link replied

"I suppose so." Zelda sighed "Come, I'll show you to your room." she said, leading him out of the throne room and down a hallway to the right. Soldiers and castle staff passed them as they walked, dipping their heads respectfully as the Princess passed.

"Is it strange to you for people to do that all of the time, or have you gotten used to it growing up?" Link asked, indicating the bowing.

"Well, I have sort of gotten used to it, but if you're trying to ask if formalities annoy me from time to time yes, they often drive me mad." Zelda answered "I don't need a lot of fuss; I need things taken care of. Ceremony tends to slow things down."

"So it doesn't bother you that I don't treat you, well, 'properly'?" Link asked, curious.

"It's rather refreshing actually. It'd be completely out of character for you to bow to anyone, if you did bow to me I'd probably just laugh." Zelda smiled "Though in front of people you should probably at least continue to call me Princess. A big to do about tradition and respect is the last thing I need right now."

"Of course Princess." Link grinned as a group of soldiers passed.

Zelda stopped in front of a row of three doors and opened the first one.

"You should have everything you need for the night there, but if you need anything else just ask. I'm sure someone can get it for you or show you how to get it yourself." Zelda said, standing back.

"I'll see you tomorrow…Zelda." Link jokingly glanced both directions down the hallway to ensure the coast was clear before calling her by her first name.

Zelda rolled her eyes "Goodnight Link." she replied, returning the way they had come.

Link closed the door as Zelda disappeared down the hallway and looked around the room. Zelda was right, it wasn't anything fancy, but considering some of the places Link had been forced to sleep on his travels before, he was perfectly happy with just a bed.

Link pulled a small table near the wall over next to the bed and set his sword and other gear on it. He always liked to have them as near as possible, just in case. He unlaced his boots and sat them on the ground near the edge of his bed. With habitual practice, he also stripped off his tunic and leather armor, laying them on the table with his weapons.

He sank down in bed, thinking about the day he had ahead of him. He'd never minded reading, at times he really enjoyed it, but he'd always been more of an active outdoor person than 'sit by the fire and read' kind of person. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of books, books and more books, but he'd manage. At least it would break the monotony of traveling by himself.

Before the Twilight had fallen over Hyrule, Link had always thought that he'd like to travel the kingdom all on his own someday. He thought it would be liberating and peaceful to have no strings attached, and he'd realized that, in a way, it was. But he'd also realized that he had a tendency to start talking to Epona…a lot, which wasn't necessarily a good thing in his book.

When he'd ventured out into the world for the first time last year, he'd never been alone. From the moment he'd stepped into the Twilight, Midna had been his constant companion. There were a lot of times, especially at the beginning of their journey when he'd wished she'd leave him alone, but she was always there with some smart ass comment to remind him of her presence and keep him focused. Now, traveling by himself for first time, he was beginning to sorely feel her absence.

Link sat up suddenly when he realized where his mind had wandered. "Where the hell did I get that train of thought." he grumbled, shaking the memories that had crept up on him unawares.

Muttering, he threw himself back down on the bed and rolled over on his side, closing his eyes and forcibly thinking about something else. Eventually he no longer forced his thoughts, and they flickered and shifted into dreams as he fell asleep.

_The wind drove and pounded the cold rain into his fur like icy needles. It whipped across his muzzle and eyes painfully despite his attempts to keep his head down as he ran. He was overextending himself, running at a pace that it was impossible to maintain without collapsing. His muscles seized with every stride and his lungs screamed with every icy, damp breathe but he was oblivious to his own body as he ran; aware only of her shivering and strained breathes from his back. He suddenly felt himself slowing dramatically, as if he was fighting his way through molasses. He couldn't slow down, or he wouldn't make it…he had to make it! But his pace grew slower and slower and he struggled more and more frantically until…_

Link shot bolt upright in bed, heart pounding and covered in an icy sweat. He sat still for a moment, allowing himself to take in his surroundings and realize where he was. It had been a nightmare, a bad dream that's all. He was still sitting in his room at Hyrule Castle; there was no rain, he wasn't a wolf, and Midna was far from Hyrule.

Exhaling slowly he ran a hand through his hair and threw off the covers; he needed to walk off the jitters. He always had nightmares when he let himself think about the past too much, he'd learned to just keep it out of his mind most of the time, but that didn't always work.

Link opened his door and peered out into the hallway. The blackness of night had just barely begun to give way to light, and he guessed that it was around five in the morning. Figuring there was no reason to go back to bed; he closed the door and walked over to the table where he's set his gear. He strapped on his light armor, replaced his tunic, and laced up his boots. He lifted his sword and sheath to strap it back over his shoulder and paused. He pulled the sword halfway out of its sheath and looked at, examining the edges for chips or dents and feeling the grip in his hand.

The sword was excellently made, and anyone else probably would have been perfectly happy owning it; but Link had held a blade that could cut through shadow and evil as if they were tangible. If what he and Zelda found today required more travel, Link decided that before they went anywhere else he would go back to the Sacred Grove and fetch the Master Sword.

Glad to finally be sure of something, Link slid the sword back into place and strapped it to his back along with his shield and quiver. Dressed for the day, Link exited his room, closing the door softly and making his way down the dim and quiet hallway.

He wandered through the halls of the unfinished castle for a while as he waited for the sun to rise and found himself back in the decimated throne room. Light had broken over the horizon and was pouring into the room through the spaces left open by the wall's collapse. Link found a flat boulder and sat down, watching as the sun rose higher, filling the dejected room.

He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there when he heard light footstep crossing the room.

"You must've gotten up early." Zelda said from behind him.

"I always do." Link smiled, turning around. His eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Zelda. In place of her usual regal attire she wore simple tan trousers, a long sleeved cream shirt and riding boots.

Noticing his expression Zelda chuckled "I felt that a dress would not be very conducive to a quick and comfortable journey." she explained

"Very practical, though you're probably going to offend a lot of people." Link grinned.

"If I had to rule this kingdom without offending anyone I'd resign because it is quite frankly impossible." she replied with a smile. "You should go get Epona so we can leave. Meet me outside the western gate."

"I'll be right there." Link nodded turning and leaving the room.

The walk through the central plaza and the rest of town was much easier than it had been yesterday. People still milled around in large groups, but they were much less frantic and tightly packed.

Instead of going straight out to the stables, Link made a detour to Telma's bar, just to make sure she was alright. He opened the door to a room full of soldiers, sitting at tables and talking in low tones about what they thought the cause of the earthquakes was. Relief washed over Telma's face when she looked up and saw Link in the doorway.

"What in the world happened to you yesterday?" she asked, coming up to him.

"I was helping dig people out of the rubble. I'm glad you and the bar are alright." Link said with a smile.

"Believe me so am I." Telma sighed "So where are you off to now?

"The Princess and I are going to see if we can find out anything about these earthquakes." Link replied "I just stopped by to make sure you were fine and to say goodbye."

"Well I won't keep you. If you need anything, anything at all, you come just walk through that door you hear?" Telma said

"Of course. Thanks Telma." Link grinned

"Be careful out there!" Telma called as he walked out the door.

Several minutes later, Link met Zelda outside the western gate, Epona in tow.

"She seems bigger every time I see her." Zelda commented, looking up at the large flaxen mare.

"She's the same size I promise." Link laughed "Who's this?" he asked, indication the dapple gray mare Zelda was leading.

"This is Audra; she was a present from a friend of my father's." Zelda replied, stroking the horse's forehead.

"Good looking horse." Link complimented "Shall we be off?" he asked, mounting Epona.

"Let's go." Zelda responded, climbing up as well. "Lord Ramsey's estate overlooks Lake Hylia, so we should be able to get there before the days end."

"Sounds good to me." Link replied.

He nudged Epona forward and Zelda let Audra follow suit, settling into a smooth trot as they crossed the field outside the castle and entered the pass leading to Lake Hylia.

Across the kingdom, deep within a vast and ageless forest, the raven haired girl stood in the shadow of the edge of the trees. With a steadying breathe she turned and surveyed the damage behind her. Almost a mile of verdant forest had been flattened, leaving trees almost as old as she was haphazardly strewn over the ground. A weary sadness filled her as she took in the destruction and she turned back around quickly, releasing a shrill melodic whistle. Several feet away, shadows seemed to slide from their positions and swirl together, congealing until at last what appeared to be a flesh and blood horse trotted toward her. She stroked the large black stallion's neck and leapt onto his back gracefully. Without any indication of command the horse shot off through the trees, weaving through them expertly at a gallop. Neither horse nor rider would need to stop before they reached their destination.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I feel like I write a lot of these, but I'm really sorry this chapter took so long and isn't all that exciting; I'm still not happy with it. My life got crazy and then the words just wouldn't come. Hopefully my next update will be faster and a bit more fast paced. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Discoveries and Meetings**

Link and Zelda rode in companionable silence for a long stretch of time, watching the landscape pass by in a tide of brown and green. When they emerged from the large rock walls of the pass, Link spoke up.

"Princess, you said earlier that Audra was a present from your father's friend…you've never mentioned your parents before." Link said in a tone of voice that indicated curiosity.

"Unfortunately there's not all that much to really talk about on my part." Zelda replied "I never really knew either of them, though those who did say they were wonderful."

"If I might ask, what happened to them?" Link inquired

"You don't keep up with the outside world much in Ordon do you?" Zelda said with a slight smile "I forget how far outside the influence of the rest of the kingdom you are sometimes…not in a bad way mind you, I don't mean to sound condescending." she added quickly, glancing at his face. "It's just interesting that something that is considered common knowledge in castle town isn't even really thought of somewhere else."

"None of the townspeople could feed themselves if you dropped them in Ordon and told them to farm." Link shrugged.

"True enough." Zelda responded "In answer to your question, my mother died hours after I was born. My father took ill and passed on a year or so later during the epidemic that broke out across Hyrule." she answered "I have technically been head of state since about the age of two, though of course the Lord's Council ruled in my stead until I came of age."

"The illness that took your father is probably the same one that killed my parents. I was about the same age when Rusl found me in Faron woods." Link said "But I'll never really know obviously."

"No one ever found out what caused it…." Zelda mused pensively.

"One mystery at a time Princess." Link cautioned jokingly.

"Right." Zelda said with a smile "Here we are, this is the path that leads down to the estate." she said, turning Audra down a narrow, winding dirt road.

Link followed her lead as Zelda guided her horse down the gradual decline from the cliffs to the lake. The path was long and meandered through the rock walls; Link was just about to ask if they were almost there when the cliffs suddenly opened up into the wide expanse of Lake Hylia. Off to the right, Link could see the large white pillars of Lord Ramsey's estate.

As they neared the house, Zelda pulled Audra to a stop and Epona jerked to a sudden halt behind her with a snort.

"Something wrong Princess?" Link asked, puzzled.

"No, no I just…wanted to warn you before we got there that…Ramsey doesn't hold much respect for me as a leader and well, he isn't too fond of you either. So just be prepared for unpleasantness." Zelda said hesitantly.

"Wonderful." Link muttered as they reached the front door.

The door swung wide open as Link and Zelda dismounted, revealing a tall and rather round man in impressively ornate robes.

"Ah Princess Zelda you've arrived, and I see you've brought the famed 'hero' with you." Ramsey spoke in a town that curled spitefully.

"I trust I gave you ample time to prepare?" Zelda replied coolly, handing her reins to the servant who hurriedly followed his master out of the house.

"Unfortunately under the circumstances of such a short notice, we were only able to prepare the most basic accommodations. I am deeply sorry for any inconvenience Princess." Ramsey informed, bowing just deeply enough to be insulting.

"I'm sure we will manage with whatever you've thrown together for us. If you would please show us to our rooms so that we may get situated and then to the library that would be appreciated." Zelda continued in an amazingly collected voice.

"Of course, right this way." Ramsey responded, turning and leading them past the immense white support columns and into the large house.

The hallways in the house were laid out in a relatively simple pattern, Link noticed as they walked; he'd have no trouble finding his way around. Large lanterns periodically dotted the white stone walls, filling in the space between intricate tapestry weavings and paintings. The house had been built to be impressive, not be lived in; it was cold, clean and elegant. Ramsey led them down a relatively small corridor and stopped in front of a plain wooden door.

"As I mentioned before, we only had time to throw together the barest accommodations, I hope you'll understand. The library is the door at the end of the hall, I'm sure you'll be able to find it without any trouble." Ramsey said, pausing for one last bow before taking his leave.

"How do you not punch him on a daily basis?" Link asked as Zelda opened the door.

"A great deal of self-restraint." Zelda responded with a faint smile that quickly vanished when she saw the inside of the room. The room was basically devoid of everything save two mattresses at opposite ends of the room, made up with blankets.

"He wasn't kidding was he?" Link commented, taking in the bare little room. "I'm no expert Princess, but I'm pretty sure had time for more than this. Isn't this a rather serious insult?"

"Yes it is." Zelda said through her teeth, anger flashing momentarily through her eyes.

"Can I hit him now?" Link asked, noticing her sudden change in demeanor; he'd almost never seen her anything but cool and commanding.

Zelda took a deep breath and sighed, calming herself. "No, if he wasn't so influential with the Council I would have punished him for stunts like this long ago. As it is, the best we can do is not give him the satisfaction of a reaction." she responded

"If you say so." Link shrugged, walking in and setting his stuff by one of the mattresses. "So I guess this means we're sharing a room?" he asked tentatively.

"So it would seem." Zelda replied, the hesitation in her voice matching his.

"Well then I'll try not to make you too terribly uncomfortable Princess." Link grinned, smoothing over the awkward moment quickly.

Zelda rolled her eyes "Come on, let's start going through books." she said, leading him out of the room and down the hall to the library.

The door creaked open under Zelda's touch and a cloud of dust dislodged itself and showered down over her head. Holding back a sneeze, she continued into the room and looked around the shelves, stacks and piles of books with a smile; she'd always loved reading. Link followed her over the threshold and inwardly groaned as he looked over the unorganized and numerous piles of books.

"Where do we even start?" Link asked.

"With anything that mentions Hyrule; histories, legends, stories; the older the better I would think." Zelda replied.

"Well I'll take this table over here." Link said, moving toward a round table to the left with a monstrous pile of books.

"Great, I'll start combing what little shelving they have in here." she replied, heading in the opposite direction toward a few small bookshelves.

With a sigh, Link grabbed a book off of the top of the tower and flipped it open to the table of contents.

"The Official Lineage of the Royal Family of Hyrule…somehow I don't think Zelda's ancestors are going to be much help here." Link said to himself. He placed the book on the ground and reached for another, quickly discarding it like the first.

The mountain of books dwindled with the sunlight and by the time Link had placed the last book aside, it had long been dark. He stood and stretched, glancing around the library with a large yawn. He noticed that he could no longer hear Zelda shuffling through the shelves on the other side of the room, so he wearily made his way over to where she had been working.

He grew concerned when he couldn't find her at first glance, and he was about to call her name when he noticed her feet emerging from the far side of the shelves. Moving to the other side, he took in the scene before him with a slightly amused expression. Zelda had drifted off, book still in hand, and was now quite contently asleep in a wooden chair.

Link hesitated awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do, before reaching out and gently shaking her shoulder.

"Er, Princess?" he said, loudly enough that it echoed slightly throughout the room.

Zelda startled awake, blinking furiously against the light "What, what's wrong?" she asked, momentarily disoriented by the sudden wake up call.

"You fell asleep." Link said, pointing to the book she held loosely in her hands.

"Oh no, what time is it?" she asked, looking around the now candlelit room.

"Well past midnight, and apparently your bedtime as well." Link joked with a half grin.

"I just haven't gotten…much sleep these past few days." Zelda explained, a large yawn punctuating the middle of her sentence. "What with everything going on."

"It's alright, sleep becomes less important when the world starts to collapse around you." Link replied, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her.

"So, did you find anything helpful?" Zelda asked hopefully.

"Not really, besides a rather interesting piece on how to properly care for your pet Zora, everything was fairly dull and not related." Link answered "What about you?"

"I had a bit more luck than you." Zelda said with a smile, raising the book she'd been reading when she'd fallen asleep. The title on the worn and faded front cover read _Lore of the Golden Goddesses: the Creation of Hyrule and Other Legends._

"What did you find in there?" Link asked

"Mostly things I already knew, but with more detail…and a few interesting tidbits I hadn't heard before." Zelda said "It talked about how Din, Farore, and Nayru descended into chaos and created Hyrule from the pandemonium. It was a lot more specific about what each goddess granted to the land though. Farore created all the life that inhabits the land, Din formed the land and terrain itself, and Nayru gave order and law to the universe; she also imbibed the land with magic."

"That's great, but how does that help us exactly?" Link asked, confused.

"The book goes on; it talks about how the goddesses, because they themselves were three in number, created Hyrule in an eternal balance of three. Have you ever noticed how often that number appears naturally?" Zelda continued

"Let's see dungeons in three's, key pieces in three's, three pieces of the triforce, yeah there's a lot of three's." Link said, ticking them off on his fingers as he spoke.

"Now that you mention it, the triforce was a big part of the book too. The triforce was the ultimate balance, the pivot point upon which Hyrule balanced with…well I'm not exactly sure. The text was very unclear at this point. It only said that Hyrule and 'the others' were in balance with one another…whatever that means." Zelda said, latching onto his previous comment.

"I'm still not seeing how this relates to our problem Princess." Link said, furrowing his brow.

"The part of the book I got too just before I fell asleep explains that. It said that, like a triangle, if one of the corners was disturbed or broken, the triangle would begin to collapse. If one side collapsed, so too would the others. I think one of these so called 'corners of balance' has been damaged somehow, and Hyrule is like the leg of the triangle that's collapsing." Zelda explained, finally reaching her point.

"That…actually kind of makes sense." Link said slowly "But what if it has nothing to do with that?"

"Well, it's a place to start. The descriptions said the world would 'tremble and shake and seem to be falling apart at the seams'. I think that's a fairly accurate depiction of our current situation." Zelda reasoned.

"Fair enough, what's our next move?" Link asked

"First, I need sleep before I drift off in this chair again, then tomorrow we'll head back to the castle and we'll consult the Council and inform them of what we think we've learned" Zelda said, standing up carefully.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Shall we further inspect the grand accommodations Lord Ramsey has prepared for us?" Link asked jokingly

Zelda chuckled "I've already fallen asleep in a chair, just about any bed will do at this point." she yawned again.

"You know, you never really explained why he dislikes you so much." Link nudged

"It's…a bit complicated. First of all, he was against me from the beginning because of my age and my gender, he doesn't like the idea of a woman being the sole ruler of the kingdom, but he was able to put most of that aside and at least be civil at first." Zelda replied hesitantly

"So what changed?" Link asked

"He's angry at me for my decision making last year. When Zant invaded the palace, He gave me the choice to surrender and allow my people to be enslaved in Twilight, or to fight until each and every one of Hyrule's citizens were dead. We were heavily outnumbered and unprepared; I felt that I had no choice, so I surrendered. Ramsey sees my choice as a weakness. He believes we should have fought to the death with honor, rather than let Zant and his Twili monsters rule over us. He still hasn't forgiven me for shaming out nation" Zelda finished with a deep breathe.

"There isn't any shame in living to fight another day." Link said, frowning, "Ramsey is a fool for judging you on your decision. He would have condemned an entire kingdom to death."

"We would've have been worse for dead if not for you." Zelda said with a small smile "We got lucky; you and Midna came around to save the day. Without you…I don't know what would've happened. In the long run, was my choice really the right one?' she asked.

For the first time, Link could hear a twinge of uncertainty in her voice; she was genuinely asking him to tell her she'd been right. All the time he had known her, Zelda had never wavered or seemed unsure of herself when it came to choosing what was best for Hyrule, so to hear this doubt in her voice surprised him, and threw him uncertainty of his own. What if he hadn't of been there? Ganondorf would have asserted his rule with ease, and everyone in Hyrule would be trapped forever as a wandering spirit in a world that they did not belong to.

After a few minutes of silent walking Link replied carefully "I think you did what you had to do at the time Princess. You did not do what I would have done, but that's why you're in charge. You do what others are not willing to do for the good of the kingdom. There can't be any dishonor in that." Link reasoned

"Thank you Link." Zelda said with a smile "What you said, about my choice not being the same as yours, you would've fought Zant?" she asked

"Until only one of us was standing Princess, I wouldn't have lain down my sword." he said seriously

"Why?" Zelda asked "If you knew you were going to lose?"

"Because that's what I do Princess." he replied simply as they reached their door. "That's why it's a good thing you're in charge and not me or anyone else…I really appreciate you not getting everyone killed." he chuckled

"In hindsight that certainly looks better." Zelda admitted with a tentative smile.

"We've come this far, don't start doubting yourself now." Link reassured, opening the door to their little room and flopping down on his mattress.

"We should probably get an early start tomorrow." Zelda said, lying down a bit more gracefully.

"If we really wanted to get an early start we'd be getting up right now." Link pointed out

"Well I figured we'd finish off the rest of the books in the morning then head out, it'll be dark by the time we get back, but we should make it in a day." she answered, rolling on her side and getting comfortable under the blankets.

"Sounds good to me." Link yawned "I'll see you in a few hours Princess."

"Goodnight." Zelda replied, closing her eyes.

The next morning Link was up and moving with the sun despite his late retirement. Deciding to let Zelda sleep, he quietly slipped out the door and down the hall to the library. Two tables of books were left to go through, so Link sat himself down and began going through books at the table nearest the door. He'd been at it for about an hour when he heard the door creak open behind him.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Zelda asked, coming up behind him.

"You looked like you needed rest last night." Link responded, grabbing another book and flipping through it before placing it aside.

"I could've been helping all this time." Zelda pointed out, sitting down at the remaining table across from him and grabbing a book.

"Better that you're awake." Link chuckled.

The pair continued in silence for several hours, until they'd rifled through the last of the books. Link placed his final book on the restacked pile and stood up, stretching toward the ceiling.

"Done Princess?" he asked

"Just finished." she replied, standing as well. "We should grab our gear from our room and head out as quickly as possible." she suggested, heading toward the door.

Link followed with a nod of assent, not particularly looking forward to the tedious ride ahead of them; hopefully they could go a bit faster than they had on the journey here. To his relief, Zelda set a brisk pace once they'd collected their things and the country side passed by much quicker than before.

They rode in relative silence, only making sporadic small talk when the quiet stretched to an uncomfortable length. The stars were beginning to peek through the intermittent covering of clouds when Zelda and Link dismounted in front of Castle Town's gates and led their horses to the stables.

"I'm not going to call the Council together until tomorrow morning, but depending on how expedient their arrival and the discussion is, we should have some sort of plan of action by midafternoon." Zelda told Link as they walked down the slowly emptying streets.

"Whatever you decide Princess, I'm going back to get the Master Sword before anything else. I have a feeling I'm going to need it." Link replied

"Unfortunately I think you're right. As soon as I've talked everything over with the Council tomorrow you should leave. The sooner we can get that out of the way the better." Zelda agreed.

Zelda left Link at the door to his room in the castle without much conversation, both were rather tired. Link didn't take long to remove his gear and flop into bed; and within minutes he'd fallen into a deep dreamless sleep.

Link awoke feeling more refreshed than he had the past several days and silently thanked whatever powers may be for a good night's sleep. He had just finished lacing up his boots when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." he called slinging his sword over his shoulder.

The door creaked open and Zelda stepped around it dressed in her normal attire.

"I just thought I should let you know that everyone's here and the Council meeting is about to begin. You're welcome to come if you like." she invited.

"As exciting as sitting through several hours of nobility bickering sounds…I think I'm going to head to the training fields and spar for a while." Link replied making a face.

Zelda chuckled "I don't blame you. Wish me luck! I'll tell you what happens later." she said, waving and closing the door behind her.

Link followed a few minutes later, winding his way through the castle's hallways until he reached the back courtyard where the training fields were located. Metallic crashes filled the air as soldiers sparred in several different dirt rings that dotted the large space.

Link approached one of the rings where a large crowd of soldiers had gathered.

"What's going on over here?" he asked one of soldiers who lined the perimeter.

"Once a month the men like to have a sort of sparring tournament as part of their training exercises. Anyone's welcome to participate though if you've got a hankering for it." the man replied spotting the sword swung across Link's back.

"Sounds interesting. What are the rules?" Link asked

"You're allowed to wear whatever sort of armor you want and use your own sword. Like I said it's a fairly informal competition, most of the men just use their official armor and swords; just don't go crazy. No fatal or serious blows, and if your opponent yields stop attacking him. We have a few officers supervising to call out any foul play. Winner stays in the ring and faces the next opponent. If someone stays in the ring for a long period of time we'll take a break so exhaustion doesn't start to become a factor, but so far no one's lasted the long." the soldier finished.

"Thanks, I think I'll join in." Link replied.

"No problem the lines over there." he responded, indicating a large group of men gathered around the entrance to the ring.

Link made his way around to the end of the line and settled in for a wait, watching the matches as they progressed.

Zelda sat down at the head of a large wooden table in the council room and looked around with a sigh. They hadn't even begun a real discussion and some of the lords had already begun petty personal arguments.

"Gentlemen." Zelda said loudly, capturing the rooms' attention. Conversation slowly died as the men turned toward the head of the table to listen to her.

"I think it's fairly obvious why I've called this meeting. It seems like we have another crisis on our hands, Hyrule is essentially falling apart." Zelda stated

"What makes you think these are anything more than a string of natural earthquakes Your Highness?" Lord Hughes asked

"The extent of damage done compared to the intensity of the actual earthquake is entirely out of proportion. Not to mention the reports of unnatural occurrences happening simultaneously with these earthquakes leads me to believe that something other than natural forces is at work here." Zelda replied

"A fair point Princess but we don't know anything about these occurrences, how are we supposed to combat them then?" Lord Griffith spoke up.

"I found a bit of an explanation in one of the books in the royal library, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which is why I brought you all here." she explained.

"Well what did the book say?" Griffith asked

"It's a bit complicated and obscure." Zelda cautioned, before delving into the long winded explanation the book had presented for their current situation. When she had finished, she looked around the room at the men's silent and thoughtful faces. After a few minutes, one of the youngest present, Lord Castor, spoke up.

"That makes sense Princess…but how do we know it's the actual explanation, and even if it is, how does it help us decide what to do next?" he asked.

"That's the discussion I'm placing on the table before you gentlemen." Zelda said, folding her hands on the table and handing the discussion over to the noblemen seated around her.

"Well personally I think this whole idea is ludicrous, supernatural earthquakes and what not. It sounds like poorly pitched bid for attention to me." Lord Ramsey grumbled at the other end of the table, crossing his arms.

Zelda was about to respond when Duskin, one of the older men on the council, spoke up.

"You seem to be suggesting Lord Ramsey and, forgive me if I'm wrong, that our current understanding of this situation is nothing more than a ploy by Princess Zelda?" he inquired, raising a wizened eyebrow.

"I'm merely suggesting that perhaps the Princess is more paranoid than she should be especially after last year's disaster." Ramsey replied, barely disguising the sneer in his voice.

"I think the Princess handled the Twilight invasion rather admirably Ramsey all things considered, I don't see how it could affect her rationale in this situation." Hughes spoke up "She's always had the kingdom's best interests at heart."

Ramsey scowled and fell silent as he was suddenly outnumbered in the conversation.

"But what if you're wrong Princess? Nothing personal of course, but what if they're just normal earthquakes?" Griffith asked.

"I'd rather do some digging and find out we were overly cautious than to let this develop into something potentially dangerous." Zelda reasoned out, and all the men save Ramsey indicated their assent.

"Then what do you propose we do, send someone off into the vast expanse of Hyrule searching for answers that may not even be there?" Ramsey asked incredulously.

"Actually Lord Ramsey, that's precisely what I had in mind, though I won't be sending just anybody. Someone who's traveled Hyrule extensively and knows the right places to look for answers." Zelda answered calmly.

"I presume you're talking about Link? I can think of few others who meet those qualifications Princess." Lord Duskin asked.

"Exactly. Link knows the sacred places of this kingdom better than even I do. With your agreement gentlemen I intend to ask him directly after this meeting." Zelda stated

"We all agree that this really our only option at this point and that Link is the best person for the job but, surely you won't be sending him alone?" Griffith asked.

"If Link wants someone to go with him he'll ask I'm sure." she responded.

"I feel like we should at least have a say in one person on this venture, the stakes could be very high here." Hughes pointed out.

"Fair enough, who do you propose then?" Zelda asked

The men looked around the room at one another, each waiting for someone else to make a suggestion. Finally Ramsey spoke up.

Princess, I recommend my son Cade accompany Link so long as neither has a legitimate objection. He was in the top of his class at the military academy and I think he'd be able to handle himself well." he said in a surprisingly reasonable tone.

Zelda responded without revealing her misgivings about the quality of Ramsey's son. "Any objections or other suggestions?"

When no one else spoke up Zelda pushed her chair back and stood. "Very well, then I call this meeting adjourned. I'll inform Link of our decision, Lord Ramsey, have your son meet him outside the eastern gate at dawn tomorrow." she concluded as the men all stood in turn and began to trickle out of the room.

Link grinned as the next man stepped confidently into the ring. He'd already beaten three opponents, rather handily if he did say so himself, and he was starting to enjoy himself immensely.

The soldier now before Link was big, so he probably relied on strength more than speed. A good whack from this guy could potentially send him head over heels backward into the dirt. Good thing he wasn't going to get a hit in.

Without any hesitation, the large man lunged at Link, who nimbly darted to the side and let the soldier barrel past him. The man swung around quickly and attacked again though this time a bit more conservatively. Link deflected one of the blows off to the side and stepped around a second one, allowing his opponent to attack for now.

Link continued to dodge and deflect the soldier's attacks until the man grew frustrated and with an angry grunt he lunged at Link with his full momentum. Link waited until the last minute to step out of the man's way, and when he did, he whirled back around and brought his sword down hard across the man's back, causing him to crash flat on his stomach out onto the ground.

The man groaned and tried to roll over, but Link placed the tip of his sword against the soldier's neck and he lay still. After a beat or two, Link stepped back and the man slowly got to his feet and lumbered out of the ring.

The crowd had thinned out during the fight and when Link looked up, there were only a few people gathered around the entrance, looking hesitantly at one another. Finally, a soldier stepped into the ring without his helmet. As he came closer, Link realized he was the man he'd met the other day, Ashton he'd said his name was.

"Well, nice to see you again." Link said as Ashton approached.

"You as well, though I can't say I'm surprised. Shall we?" Ashton replied, readying his sword.

Link nodded and raised his sword as well and watched Ashton careful, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Link acted first, attacking with an easy slice as a test of Ashton's style. Ashton easily deflected the blow with what looked to be minimal effort. He retaliated by feigning right, then bringing his sword down in a quick blow at Link's lower abdomen. Link side stepped out of the way and jabbed his sword at Ashton's chest, then jerked upward toward his chin. Ashton stepped back and whipped he sword up, knocking Link's sword away from him. Soon the two were trading blows back and forth at a rate of speed the soldiers hadn't seen all day and many gathered to watch again.

Neither man seemed to be gaining ground though Link was mostly on the attack and Ashton had to defend against his faster movements. Finally when both men were panting Ashton stepped back and held up his hand.

"If we were actually trying to kill each other you'd have gotten me by now." he commented lowering his blade.

Link sheathed his sword and nodded, catching his breathe. "You're good." Link told him.

"Thanks." Ashton said "I probably don't have to tell you, you are too. Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked

"I had a mentor named Rusl, and some other unconventional teachers." Link replied

"Well they did a good job." Ashton said as the exited the ring.

Link heard his name being called and turned to see Zelda striding toward him through the mass of soldiers.

"Princess." Ashton bowed as Zelda approached.

"Lieutenant" Zelda acknowledged, and then turned to talk to Link.

"How'd the meeting go Princess?" Link asked

"It went." Zelda sighed "After some bickering they decided my explanation was worth investigating and that you were the person to do it. They want you to take Ramsey's son Cade with you too, as their representative of sorts." she explained.

Link shrugged "I'm not responsible for him if he can't keep up."

"Fair enough." Zelda responded. "You can also bring along anyone else you want. I'd come, but I have to stay here and take care of everything."

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow Princess." Link replied

"Good" Zelda said "I'll see you off then."

"If you need some help you know, saving Hyrule again, I'll come." Ashton offered

"That might not be a bad idea, considering I know you can handle yourself and I know nothing about this Cade guy. Are you sure you want to do this though? I have no idea what's going to happen."

"I'm sure." Ashton replied with a nod.

"Good. I'll meet you by the eastern gate at dawn." Link said, waving shortly as he started walking back toward the arena.

An officer overseeing the matches asked Link if he'd like to get back in the ring but Link declined, saying he'd rather watch for a while.

The matches continued until the light began to fade as the sun set. When the overseeing officers called it a night, Link trudged back to the castle while the rest of the men headed home or to the barracks.

Back in his room Link undressed and slowly lowered himself into his bed, enjoying what he figured would be his last good night's sleep for a while. He drifted off into dreams about rolling green landscape and various creatures of all shapes and sizes, blending together until they were nothing more than a wide swath of colors.


End file.
